Every inch of this game screams that someone cared. Please go watch any of the making-of videos available on YouTube, and you’ll see just how much effort undergirds this visual and sonic treat.

Of course, I do not recommend this off effort alone. It’s a genuine joy to play, an experience that’ll push you and inspire you to push back. Don’t be intimidated: you can beat this. You should beat this. I still can’t really believe this got made. Don’t miss it, ‘cause who knows if we’ll ever get anything else like it.

There's an unspoken trend I've found myself following that I'll call the Pick Up Phone quotient. It's simple - the frequency with which I pick up my phone during a game tends to correlate inversely with how engaging it is.

From its opening scene, Hyper Light Drifter kept me glued to its lightning-fast gameplay and mysterious atmosphere. I can confidently say my phone did not leave my pocket until the credits rolled, only then coming out for more research on the game and to listen to its incredible soundtrack.

See, HLD's developers understand that less context often makes a more interesting game. Nothing here is spelled out for you, but you're given just enough information to speculate on what happened to the world and its residents. Hyper Light Drifter triumphantly exemplifies the value of restraint. Nothing here overstays its welcome, something I find rare among the modern games designed to keep you circling their whirlpools for months on end. And unlike those games - games which, as you might guess, tend to have a high Pick Up Phone quotient - I finished Hyper Light Drifter eagerly wanting more. Absolutely worth your time from start to finish, and I can hardly wait to see what the developers create next.

Every moment of this game is intentionally designed for two players. This isn’t the little-brother mode that other games will try to pawn off as co-op. Characters and environments are thoughtfully put together and keep each level feeling fresh. Each level is ridiculously detailed, far beyond what one could reasonably expect. I mean these mfs programmed in an entire chess game with multiple time settings that a lot of players might not even see. Pretty heartwarming story too, if you’re interested in that sorta thing.

Some great divergences from a formula that was previously feeling pretty stale. However, you basically see everything this game has to offer within the first few hours, and then the rest is just... more of that. You'll fight wild pokemon and throw pokeballs, sit through the occasional mind-numbingly easy trainer battle ... 20 hours later, I can't say it's even that much more difficult, let alone deep. The open world is a neat idea, but you don't have many ways to interact with your environment and end up simply running point-to-point over and over. It's a framework for a great game sometime in the unspecified future, but I don't know that there's enough here to keep me engaged.

UPDATE: Returned to the game months later and finished it. Frankly, not worth it. Ending was pretty flaccid. Will check out the postgame though, as I hear it's worth seeing.

This game has impeccable vibes, and I can't help but smile when I load into Delfino Plaza. Mario feels great to control, and I love how each level is integrated into the world design. But some of them are just poorly thought out, if not outright sadistic. Had to really push myself to finish this game, and I can't say the ending felt particularly gratifying. Apparently development was rushed, and you can certainly see that in a non-insignificant number of places. Still, this is a pretty solid experience and, on the whole, worth playing.

LIFE
I lean my augmented head left of the corner and glance - three guards, submachine guns lowered, unaware of the infiltration. Three quick headshots later, ground splattered with pixelated blood and polygonal gore, I advance up the stairwell. Reload. Another headshot. Floor clear. First target in sight - pharma CEO - can't be caught embezzling funds like this, man. I kick him and he bounces, violently and comically, around the room. Next target marked, I run down the stairs again. I realize I missed one.

DEATH
A burst from around the corner catches me, and I explode, vision kaleidoscopic. Better luck next time.

REBIRTH
Body reconstructed for a nominal fee, I run the mission again. Saved up just enough for a scoped bionic eye, and this time around, I don't miss. Targets compromised to a permanent end. I extract.

Cycle repeats. New targets are always available: there's no shortage of financial criminals, cult leaders, and hedonistic executives in late-late-late-stage capitalism. I fashion a new intestine as a grappling hook, install ramjets into my feet. I invest in the stock market. I buy a house. I spend some time fishing.

TRANSCENDENCE
I am a financial deity. I see between the trend lines, I manipulate the markets. I change gravity. I erase my targets on a cellular level. I break the cycle: I die and am reborn when I choose. I sever and reestablish my link to the divine just for fun. No, despite all this, I'm not the god of this world - I'm the damn CEO, and the grind is just starting.